SlickEdit’s Syntax Expansion feature provides auto-completion support for common loop and conditional control structures in a variety of languages. Using Syntax Expansion with Dynamic Surround allows you to quickly rework existing code without having to manually insert braces or re-indent your source. Surround-With Aliases can be used in a similar fashion to refactor blocks of existing source.

Posted by Patrick K under Code Editors, ProgrammingComments Off on Random observations from the implementation of the new C++ beautifier in SlickEdit 2012

Yes, parsing C++ is difficult. There are numerous web pages out there that detail the traps for the unwary, commemorate fallen projects, and offer up grammars in varying states of incompletion. While what we had to do for the beautifier’s parsing is many times simpler than what a compiler writer for C++ has to deal with, you still get some interesting issues that arise from trying to navigate the full C++ syntax without the benefit of the information available to a full fledged C++ parser.